Online Correspondence
by chasingafterstarlight
Summary: It was with a smile that he finished his message and hit send. Beck Oliver was taking control of his own life now. (Oh, but little did he know.) / Sometimes things aren't always what they seem. Cat and Tori sign Jade up for a dating website while Robbie does the same for Beck. When the two begin an (anonymous) online correspondence, will they rekindle their old romance? Jade/Beck.


_Online Correspondence _

Jade/Beck

.

It had been four weeks, five days, four hours, and twenty-three minutes since their breakup.

Not that Jade was counting or anything.

But the days seemed longer when she was alone. She heard every incessant tick of the clock, saw every detail she might have missed, got more sleep, did her homework – but it wasn't worth it, it never was. Losing him wasn't worth any amount of free time or renewed motivation.

He was her first love; that much she knew for sure. Probably he was her only love. She had never cared for anyone the way she had cared for him, and she had assumed that he felt the same way, but ten seconds and all of it was lost. Ten seconds and they had thrown it all away. Ten seconds and she had lost the only person that was important to her.

Most of her time was spent moping, much to the dismay of her so-called 'friends'. They didn't understand, they couldn't, but they spent most of their time trying to get her to go have fun with them anyway. It didn't surprise her, honestly; she knew that in some twisted way they cared about her, and therefore they would want her to not mope about all the time, but she didn't much feel like going out. Outside was scary – outside was Beck and all the memories his face entailed, outside were _girls_ that went incessantly after Beck and rubbed it in her face now that they were broken up ("You were never good enough for Beck, were you?"). Outside did not appeal to her, not at all.

But now, it seemed, Tori and Cat had conspired to bring the outside to her.

"Jade!" Cat yelped, dashing in. Tori walked shyly behind her, a laptop hidden beneath her arm. "Jade, oh my gosh, how are you! No, don't answer that, but we're here to help you, ya know – we, well _I_ actually, think you've been really lonely lately, and maybe it's time to fix that! Beck's not the only guy in the world you know, and you've been really messed up on him, but lately he's been kind of a jerk, so I thought maybe we could find you someone else! You see, there's this _Hollywood Arts _singles website, and well me and Tori – "

"Please tell me you didn't sign me up for it," Jade said with a groan. It seemed impossible that her life could get any worse; first her boyfriend had broken up for her, and now her best friend (for all intents and purposes, at least) had signed her up for a dating website that was probably just _swarming_ with pedophiles that were ready to pounce. This, in itself, was an entirely new low.

"Should I not have?" Cat inquired, exchanging a guilty look with Tori. Jade just groaned again as Cat continued, "Jade, come on, we just want you to be happy! Why don't you want us to?"

"Because I'll look _desperate_, Cat! I mean, come on – just cause Beck and I broke up doesn't mean I'm totally desperate, all right? And I don't want everyone finding that and laughing at how very desperate I am! They'll be all 'Jade West made a profile on the _Hollywood Arts _singles website! Who would even want to date her anyway?'" Her rage was clear in her words, but they were more fear-driven than anyone else; despite her hard shell, she was occasionally very insecure, and she didn't want anyone to see her, the scariest girl in school, as desperate, on the same level as the _everyone-love-me-please_, superbly obsessed with attention Tori Vega.

"But that's the cool thing, Jade!" Cat pleased, her eyebrows creased and eyes wet with unshed tears already, probably because she had been far too excited for this plan and was now disappointed. "You don't even have to put your name or your picture! It's totally based on personality and interests and all of that stuff; that's why Tori and I thought you would like this."

Jade spun to focus her scathing glare on Tori, who fidgeted uncomfortably under Jade's gaze. "Is all of this true, Vega?"

"Y-yes," Tori stuttered, cowering a bit and moving to stand closer to Cat, who still seemed more hurt than scared, oddly enough. "They didn't want to make it like, personal, or based on popularity or whatever, so there are no names or revealing of personal information. It's just personality, though of course they like, put your grade up and everything. But yeah."

"And you two buffoons have already signed me up for a profile?" Jade inquired, quirking an eyebrow. Cat and Tori exchanged a look, obviously sharing a silent conversation – _should we say yes? Of course Cat we can't lie. But what if she kills us? She's not that evil, Cat – _and then they both nodded. With a sigh, Jade told them, "Fine, I'll keep it. But first – you gotta show me my profile."

"Yay!" Cat yelped, grabbing the laptop from Tori (who was sure to protest loudly) and clicking on one of the bookmarks. "Okay, Jade, so we picked something we thought you'd like. Actually it was Tori's idea – _WickedWitch_, how's that?"

"Not bad, Vega," Jade muttered with a raise of her eyebrow, watching as Cat pulled up her profile. "Though I'm guessing it's because you're under the impression that I am a totally evil witch without a bit of good in me."

"No actually, it's just because of your last name," Tori said with a laugh. "You know, Jade _West_… the Wicked Witch of the _West…_"

"I've heard that one before." Jade rolled her eyes. "Anyway, let me see this profile."

"Okay," Cat whimpered, moving away from the laptop so that Jade could have access to it. Jade raised an eyebrow at the other girl, wondering what she could have put on there that made her so very terrified to show her. Confused, she scanned the profile that was placed in front of her.

_Screenname: WickedWitch_

_Current Age/Grade: 17/12__th__ grade_

_Relationship Status: Single, obviously_

_Hobbies: Acting, singing, screenwriting and other types of writing as well, public speaking, babysitting young children, dancing, studying for my classes (I guess you could say I'm smart)_

Jade paused for a second to glance back at the other girls. "Okay, first of all, I don't babysit. Where did you get that from?" This was already confusing and, well, worrying; Jade had always had an aversion to people under the age of 14 – well, people in general actually, but people under the age of 14 in particular, just because they were so annoying and oblivious to everything.

"You made that _Jade With Tots _video, right?" Cat told her with a giggle. "And, well, Tori and I just assumed that you liked kids, because you seemed so _sweet_ talking to them and –"

"NO!" Jade broke in, cutting into Cat's little tangent. "And anyway, you made me kind of seem like a nerd. Like, I'm _smart_, but no one would dare call me a nerd, because I'd make their lives miserable, and well, nerds are the weak sort of people, the ones that get picked on because they believe they're inferior to other people – which is, by the way, a lie, and you should know that. People that _aren't_ smart are inferior, actually."

"Yeah, I know," Tori said, exchanging a look with Cat that clearly said _I'm a little scared right now_. "But uh, why don't you keep reading? We tried our best…"

Shaking her head, Jade continued to read, wondering why she had ever become friends with these two strange girls (though she might deny it to anyone who asked, they were actually her friends in a weird sort of way).

_About me: I am a female, if you haven't figured that out already. I go to Hollywood Arts and have a wide range of talents, though I don't choose to focus my talents in any particular area. As a general rule, I am sort of stand-offish, though I have a soft side if you get to know me well. I am hot; as conceited as that may sound, it's true, and I'm actually an incredibly lovely person – witty, strong-willed, and interesting, because as they say, normal's boring. And I am _certainly _not boring. Trust me, send me a message. It won't be a waste of time._

"Tori," Jade screeched, which made the two girls jump in fear. They had not only made her sound conceited, but also like she had gone _soft_ – though it didn't really matter, since no one knew it was her, but still. Jade didn't have a _soft_ side! How insane were these two? "Cat! None of this is true?"

"Yes, it is," Tori declared impetuously. "I mean, we know you better than anyone else, except maybe…" Tori trailed off then, realizing her mistake. "We should, at least. And come on, Jade, you have a soft side. Everyone has a soft side."

"You sound like Cat," Jade retorted with another roll of her eyes.

Cat gave a small squeak. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, Cat," Jade muttered, clicking on the flashing icon that said _Inbox. _There were three messages in there. With a raised eyebrow, she clicked on the first one, which was from some guy named _SexyBoi. _That was enough to make her concerned, and all the more as she read his message.

_Hey, u sound hot gurl ;) Wanna met up at skewl? Send me a msg well have a gud time babe_

"Um, no," Jade said with a scowl, deleting the message. She moved onto the next one, a message from someone named _Looking4awoman, _which said something along the lines of _hey hot gurl I like u wanna have sex_. Another scowl made its way over her face, and she deleted that message as well, leaving just one message in her Inbox. She clicked on the message with some confusion – thankfully, this time, the message wasn't from anyone interested in soliciting sex from her, at least not that she could tell from their screenname, but it brought up memories that she didn't want to relive. Oh, well, she thought, clicking on the message, it couldn't be.

The message was from a boy whose screenname was _HotActor_.

.

"You set up a dating profile for me?" Beck asked, trying as hard as he could to keep his voice level. On occasion he got frustrated with Robbie, because honestly there was just something wrong with his brain, but never had he gone so far as to interfere in Beck's _love life_. That was just… that was just unheard of and wrong on _so _many levels, especially since Beck was fairly sure that he wasn't over his ex-girlfriend yet, which probably meant that he was actually desperate, but oh well. He didn't want to _seem _desperate, though he guessed that Robbie was probably good at that.

"Yes, Beck!" Robbie said, a frustrated edge to his voice that clearly indicated that Beck should understand his reasoning for this by now. "I mean honestly, girls have been all over you like, every day, and you haven't even given them a second glance! It's time for you to move on; you can only mope over Jade for so long before it starts to annoy everyone else."

"I am _not_ moping over Jade," Beck protested, shooting Robbie a glare. "I broke up with her, all right? Well, I mean, she walked out the door… but _I _chose not to open it, so I'm not moping and I'm totally not in love with her anymore, not at all."

"Riiight," Robbie said with a raise of his eyebrow. "Anyway, I've already set up a profile for you and fired off a message to the girl that the website says you have quite a bit of compatibility with. I've also warded off many of the pedophiles that have sent you messages; already you have garnered quite a bit of attention. Well, enjoy!" Robbie beamed at him, clearly thinking that he had somehow done Beck a favor with this stupid dating site, and then stalked off.

Beck had, of course, known of the existence of this site; practically everyone did, but he hadn't known the particulars of it. He had thought it was only for desperate nobodies, and besides he'd never been in need of it before, since he'd always, for as long as he could remember, been dating Jade, and that left no room for any other girls. Besides, he'd never really been interested in anyone else, even after their breakup. The girls that threw themselves at him all seemed too, well, _cliché_, too normal, and like a lot of the people at Hollywood Arts, he considered normal to be boring. He found so-called 'normal relationships' to be too complacent; he wanted a little fighting, at least, to spice things up, and it was evident that a lot of people became closer after a fight. Complacency really just wasn't his thing.

He was relieved, after clicking on the profile Robbie set up, to see that the website really didn't give him away. It simply said his username – HotActor – and while he wasn't averse to the username, he thought it was a bit odd that Robbie had chosen it for him. But whatever, he'd always known that Robbie had found him attractive. He had to laugh – Robbie could be oddly funny at times without meaning to be. (he) could be endearing, or it (he) could be completely and utterly weird.

With a roll of his eyes, he clicked on the profile, hoping Robbie hadn't put anything that would give away his identity. There was a simple, straightforward layout, one that Beck could easily understand, and it went like this:

_Screenname: HotActor_

_Current Age/Grade: 18/12th grade_

_Relationship Status: Single – that's why I'm on here._

_Hobbies: I am primarily an actor, but I also enjoy singing on occasion, working with mechanics, working my magic with females, and hanging out with my friends. I consider myself to be a very amiable sort of guy; I am very rarely rude to anyone, and I am friendly to those that I consider to be interesting, so I suppose that 'outgoing' quality that I possess could count as a hobby._

_About me: I'm a male. I go to Hollywood Arts, obviously, and my one true passion is acting; I hope to somehow make it big in Hollywood as an actor. I am occasionally witty (when I want to be), humorous, nice, and friendly. I've just recently broken off a serious relationship, and I'm still bearing the grief that comes with that. I'm in search of someone that's interesting, someone that can make me forget about everything. I'm a good-looking guy, rugged good looks and all. Send me a message if you would like to know more._

"Robbie," Beck growled under his breath. He barely knew the definition of half of the words Robbie had used for one; who even used the word 'amiable' anymore (and was it positive or negative)? And second all, _bearing the grief _that comes with a breakup? Could he have sounded any more feminine?

But it seemed that the girls enjoyed his _'sensitivity'_ (or, rather, _Robbie's _sensitivity), because his inbox was jam-packed with emails. Of course, they were primarily from the odd sort of women, or rather the promiscuous sort, because they were all looking for one thing, and just one thing, one thing that Beck wasn't willing to give. With a wrinkled nose, he deleted them – _Hello there, I think I have what you're looking for ;) _– no, that was a definite no. Every single disgusting email was discarded until at last there was only one email remaining, an email from someone named _WickedWitch_.

A rather weird username, Beck thought, but he clicked on her profile anyway, deciding this was probably the one that Robbie had emailed, claiming that the two had great 'chemistry' according to the dumb website or whatever. Her profile seemed to detail everything he wanted, though – she was in his grade, extremely talented (as far as he could tell), hot, and not to mention, she wasn't boring. With a raised eyebrow and a slight smile, Beck decided that maybe Robbie had done something right for once.

The first email, the one Robbie had sent, was the standard _Hi, the website says we have great chemistry so I thought I'd fire you an email _or whatever. Her response, though, intrigued him all the more.

_Hi there, HotActor. Very conceited username you have there. Anyway._

_We'll have to see about that chemistry thing, but you do seem to be a very interesting individual who's not a complete dunderhead like 90% of the idiots at this school. It's good to see that you haven't let being an actor consume every last brain cell you possess._

_I am going to tell you first off that I'm not the conventional sort of girl. I'm not like the golden girls that prance around in their pink miniskirts. I'm not going to be easy and I'm not going to be boring, but then again, your profile says that you don't like boring. So I guess it's your choice if you want to stick around and you know, try._

_I do warn you that I have high expectations for my friends or potential love interests, though, so, should you want to apply, you should make sure you meet all of my expectations. If you have any interest, you should express that in your reply as well, and I'll be sure to give you my list._

_Sincerely,_

_WickedWitch._

It was odd, something about her sardonic tone reminded him of – dare he say it? No. He wasn't going to bring her into this; this was one aspect of his life Jade couldn't control. And besides, this girl seemed intriguing, unlike ninety percent of the girls at school that were all over him. Come to think of it, he didn't want easy, nor did he want boring. He wanted someone who was unconventional, who could challenge him and make him think and add some spice to his traditionally vanilla life.

So it was with a slight smirk on his face that he began to reply.

_Dear Wicked Witch:_

_Okay, first off, I'm really not all that smart. I know like, how to use grammar and stuff, but I'm not gonna lie and say that my vocabulary is super sophisticated or anything, but I'll try for you. Maybe I'll even crack open my dusty old Webster's Thesaurus._

_I'm not looking for boring, like I said in my profile. A lot of the girls at our school are super nice and pretty, but they're just not interesting, and I guess that's what I want in a girl. A girl who adds interest to my life. My last girlfriend was like that, but I was dumb enough to let her go, and now I'm just kinda trying to move on, weirdly enough. Yeah. _

_Getting back on track, yeah, I didn't make my username, my friend did, and oddly enough, he's a guy. Weird, right? Sometimes you just gotta wonder about him. _

_I'm interested in befriending you, though (impressed yet?), so you should send me your list of expectations, though I assure you already that I'll probably meet all of them. (So maybe I am a little bit conceited. Sue me.) Hope to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely yours,_

_HotActor_

It was with a smile that he finished his message, and with a smile he hit send.

Beck Oliver was taking control of his own life now.

(Oh, but little did he know.)

.

**A/N: I've just written two fics in one day and I'm rather worried about myself (the other one won't be published for a while but you know). This is a multichap – like Beck said, sue me. I actually have the next chapter of OUAT!Victorious written so no worries okay. And we'll see how this one goes because I actually really like this idea.**

**Yes, it is set before TFB&J, and yes, because of the makeup that went down in TFB&J, it's definitely AU. Oh well. I hope you enjoy it anyway, and I hope you'll leave a review so I can update soon! Thanks.**


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